The New Teddy
by WhereIsTheWeekend
Summary: After the truly horrific and fiery death of Teddy, Yui finds that she is the new toy that Kanato clings to. While forced to be his constant companion she learns a few things about the childish purple-haired vampire and grows to understand him in a way she never did before. (Rated M for YuixKanato smut in later chapters)
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: So hi everyone. I just want to let the people reading this know that of the Sakamaki brothers, Kanato is my favourite and that I think this site deserves more Kanato fanfics. There are shockingly few of them out there so to everyone reading this who also love Kanato best, I dedicate this story to all of you :)**

 **Also, just letting you all know that is roughly based around a time after the second season of the anime.**

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Chapter 1

I hadn't really noticed it at first. If anything, I thought perhaps he had finally welcomed my company but after several days it became undeniable; Kanato was clinging to me.

Since losing his precious stuffed bear, Teddy, to the inferno of the living room fireplace he had been listless. Part of me had felt terrible pity when I saw him wandering about the house with nothing clutched in his arms. I even caught him talking to himself a few times before he would properly realise that his bear wasn't there to listen to his words and he'd stop mid-sentence with a pained look on his face.

Of course another part of me had understood that carrying a toy around with you at all times wasn't exactly what some people would call normal but since Teddy had left the living world it just felt like something was missing. I felt bad for Kanato because I think perhaps Teddy was the only person – or object shall we say? – that really listened to him and understood him.

Naturally I wanted to ease the pain of his loss so whenever I could spare the time and I found Kanato sitting sadly by himself I would approach and talk to him quietly. I didn't say too much. Most of the time it was merely a small greeting or I would ask him if he wanted to eat with me.

He'd been a little reluctant to accept me at first but I was grateful that he didn't completely reject my attempts to cheer him up. Most of the time he sat silently next to me while I talked about school or the kind of sweets that I liked. I hoped that by talking about the things that he liked he would respond to me and eventually he did.

He didn't say much to begin with, just that his favourite dessert was cake, and not just any cake, it had to be a strawberry cake. He liked to eat the strawberries last. It was only a small piece of knowledge and he hadn't said much after that but it had me pleased for the rest of the day. I figured that if he could open up to me then perhaps he was slowly getting over his grief.

As was only to be expected, I promptly taught myself how to make a strawberry cake and the next day I presented it to him at school during our lunch break. He'd looked at me like I was an idiot but he accepted it all the same. He didn't give and word of thanks and he'd complained about the taste but he still ate the whole slice I gave him. On returning home I remembered passing the kitchen and seeing him cutting himself another slice but I didn't want to embarrass him by walking in on him but it made me more pleased.

After that Kanato seemed to improve significantly. He no longer looked annoyed when I found him sitting around the house and he let me talk to him and he talked back to me. The conversations were never truly significant, just small talk about the weather that day, or how the garden was looking and ever so often a small anecdote about his childhood.

Things continued on in that manner and it wasn't until several weeks had passed that I realised something strange had happened. I had been sitting with Kanato in one of the parlours while we talked and he'd leant forwards and wrapped his arms around my waist in much the same way as he had used to hold Teddy. I realised then that maybe I really had made myself the replacement of his stuffed bear. After all, I had let myself get close to Kanato. Perhaps it was his way of showing me affection. All I knew was that I had made him feel better and I wasn't going to stop now.

...

At the Sakamaki mansion we ate our meals together promptly at 7pm. Or at least we tried to all arrive at 7. I was running a little late because I had been caught up in doing homework in my bedroom. It meant I was forced to run down the flights of stairs and dash into the dining room.

Luckily it seemed that no one had begun eating yet. I walked over to the table and was suddenly surprised to find that my chair wasn't in its usual place. At first I thought perhaps that one of the brothers had removed it as a kind of punishment for being late but then I saw that it had merely been shifted over to be pressed directly up against Kanato's seat.

I approached him and gave him a warm smile before sitting in my chair. He immediately looped his arm through mine but stared at his plate as if he had not done the action at all. The other brothers all stared at us with baffled looks. Apparently they weren't used to Kanato showing more than a vampire-like interest in people.

I ignored them and began to eat my food silently. It was difficult because with my right arm linked with Kanato's, I only had use of my left hand. In my attempts to try and cut up my roast potatoes with the side of my fork I only succeeded in making a mess. I nearly jumped when a dinner knife came soaring down and stabbed firmly into one of the potatoes on my plate. Kanato's own free hand held the handle so tightly that his knuckles had turned white and when I looked up into his face I saw a devilish smile. I think perhaps he liked to make me jump.

"I'll cut the food" he said to me. I opened my mouth in thanks but the words caught in my throat as I could only gape at the spectacle of Kanato trying to cut the vegetables on my plate. He seemed nearly as useless as I had been and my food got crushed.

I had to laugh though at how silly we must have looked and eventually managed to persuade Kanato to stop stabbing at my plate. With some effort we managed to work together, each using our own utensil to cut up one of the nearly flattened pieces of roast potato and I could finally pick up a bite-sized piece of the food onto my fork.

As I moved the fork to my own mouth I suddenly felt Kanato's eyes on me and a quiet protesting grunt come out of his mouth. I looked back at him and then smiled again.

"Do you want the first piece?" I asked of him. He opened his mouth in reply and I feed the food to him. He ate it quickly and then brandished his knife to show that he was ready to try again.

With the next piece he allowed me to take the mouthful and we proceeded in taking turns to work through the meal. Never once did we try and free our arms from each other. I didn't want to let go for fear that it would make him angry, or worse; sad.

I could still feel the other brothers watching us silently from their seat although perhaps not Shu as he rested back in his chair with his eyes close. I could practically feel the disdain coming from Reiji due to our poor table manners and the other three still sat there and watched us with varying amounts of annoyance, perplexity and curiosity.

Subaru made a noise of disgust and I looked over to him with a frown.

"Don't you have any pride?" he asked me, "Are you just going to let that loser treat you like his pet?"

I looked back to Kanato to see that his gaze had dropped. His expression had become gloomy again and it sent a pang running through my heart. I snatched his hand under the table and squeezed it in reassurance.

"If I was a pet," I replied to Subaru while still keeping my gaze fixed on Kanato, "I would want Kanato to be my master any day."

Everyone seemed rather shocked by my statement but I figured that if I said anything less encouraging to Kanato then he would perhaps start avoiding me all over again. I needed to make it clear to him that I wanted to stay by his side and aid in his recover by doing whatever it was that he felt he needed to do.

My words seemed to sink into Kanato and eventually I saw his eyes lift a fraction so that they could just meet mine and a small ghost of a smile played over his lips before disappearing again. The action sent a small, excited, chill running down my spine because I had made this miserable vampire happy again and right then that was all I really wanted.

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 **P.S This is rated M for later chapters that I'm sure I will get around to posting eventually.**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Kanato took me to his room after everyone had finished their meal. I didn't have much say in the matter, he merely took my hand and I followed. While being dragged along behind him I tried to gauge his mood. His face didn't look cheerful but I didn't think he was angry at me either. If anything, he looked to be on the brink of a meltdown.

When we arrived in his room he finally dropped my hand and moved to his bed where he fell onto the mattress heavily and curled himself into a ball. He buried his face into the blankets and I watched for a minute as his body took large full breaths.

I'd never been into Kanato's room before. He'd never let me see it and I'd never had reason to enter but right then I had a chance to look around. It all seemed slightly childish but at the same time it felt dark. There was such an ominous feeling to the place that it made one feel like they were on the brink of tears. Somehow it seemed to suit Kanato so perfectly.

I looked to him again and although it was very faint, I could see him trembling. I approached the bed slowly and very hesitantly I sat on the edge of the mattress. Kanato still had his face hidden and it was then that I realised he was much more upset that I had imagined him to be.

Cautiously I reached out a hand and brought it gently down onto Kanato's shoulder. He jumped the instant I touched him and sprang up onto his knees. The vicious glare he gave me made me want to cower.

"Don't touch me!" he spat, "Don't give me your fake pity! No one can care about a _loser_ like me."

"What are you saying?" I said startled. He'd been so calm over the past couple of days that I had almost forgotten that he could blow up at times. "What's wrong?"

Kanato's face contorted into a pained expression and he couldn't look me in the eye. I tried to reach out to him again but he slapped my hand away. His bottom lip was quivering and his eyes had gone glassy. It was strange seeing Kanato look so upset but it only made me was to comfort him more.

... _a loser like me..._

"You know..." I began gently, "I'm sure Subaru didn't mean it when he called you a loser. You know how he is. You can't take anything he says too seriously."

"But he was right, wasn't he?" Kanto partly yelled and partly wept, "I am a loser. I'm a freak. You only hang around me so that you can laugh at me!"

I blinked in surprise as I could see the wretchedness take over his features. I had never guessed Kanato to be an insecure person but from the misery on his face I could tell that Subaru's small comment from earlier had been toying with his mind. It made me wonder if he always got so upset about any small comment and if there was anything I could do to help. The only thing I could think of in that moment was to hug him.

I got myself further onto my bed and while Kanato was busy brushing away his tears I quickly wrapped my arms around his neck. This caused him to jump yet again but I had been expecting it so I held on tight as he wriggled and squirmed under my embrace. He made the noise of a small child that didn't want to be touched but I was determined to make him calm down and to understand me.

He managed to get an arm free and his hand came down fast across my cheek. He nails caught on my skin and from the sharp sting that followed I knew he had ripped my skin. The surprise caused me to let go of him and back away. My fingers brushed my cheek delicately and I felt the warmth of fresh blood.

Kanato seemed as shocked as I was and I looked at him warily as I shuffled backwards off the mattress. He hadn't spilled my blood since our strange new relationship had begun and it felt like a sudden betrayal. I had hoped he had changed.

When I managed to get myself off the bed I glanced towards the door. Kanato saw where I was looking and he quickly began to move towards me. I jumped into action and ran at full speed to the door in the fear that the smell of my blood had given him an appetite. However, just as I reached the door, two hands slammed down on either side of me and I whirled around to see Kanato barely a few inches from my face.

Fear caused me to recoil and as I shivered slightly I saw Kanato's face droop into a sad expression.

"You want to leave me?"

"N-no" I answered awkwardly. It was hard to say anything that would hurt Kanato when he had a face like that but he probably knew exactly why I was scared.

"Are you lying? I hate it when people lie."

"I just thought maybe you wanted to be alone" I replied. Of course it was a lie but I didn't need to get him in a worse mood.

"I want you to stay."

I closed my eyes as he leaned closer towards me. His wet tongue ran across my bloody cheek and I had to hold my breath to stop myself from shaking. He licked up the blood that had spilled over my face before moving away again.

I opened my eyes when I felt him take my hand and lead me back towards the bed. I stumbled along in his wake and sat with him on the mattress. He lay down and curled up into a ball again and continued as he had been doing before as if nothing had changed except that fact that I now held his hand.

I let myself relax when I realised this meant he wasn't going to attack me and I returned to trying to comfort him. I lay down beside him and held his hand with both of mine. He seemed to relax also and I watched as his shoulder became looser and his breathing slowed to a calmer rate. His eyes were closed and I knew it was my duty to stay by his side until he fell asleep.

"Don't leave me" he whispered quietly as he sank further into sleep. I smiled to myself a little. This one vampire gave me so much to worry about and yet it made my heart simply swell at the thought that he needed me. I shuffled closer to him and watched his gentle sleeping face.

His mouth began to form and mutter a word and I leaned in closer to catch the sound of his voice.

"... Teddy ..."

I gave a small sigh. Well, I suppose I still had a stuffed bear to compete with for Kanato's trust and compassion.

...

The sound of a rattling window had me suddenly sitting up. I hadn't even realised that I'd dozed off. I suppose the calm quiet had lulled me into slumber. I looked around and was surprised to find that I had been covered in a purple blanket.

Kanato still lay sleeping on the bed although he had clearly moved. His head now rested on one of the pillows and he had removed some of his outer clothing. I glanced at the clock on the wall and realised that five hours had passed. Presumably, Kanato had woken up in that time and had tried to make the two of us more comfortable before returning back to sleep.

I smiled gratefully and brought the blanket up to my face and inhaled deeply. It smelled slightly sweet, just like Kanato. I could only imagine him curled up in it.

Upon glancing back over to Kanato I then realised that he didn't have a blanket although I wasn't sure vampires could even get cold. He wore only a loose pair of pants and a soft white shirt that hadn't been buttoned properly so that the top half of his chest was exposed.

I blushed and scolded myself when I realised my eyes had lingered a little too long at the sight of his bare skin. I pointedly looked away and lay back down with the blanket tucked up around my chin. I was just going to pretend that I had never woken up and I had never stared at Kanato.

I couldn't help blushing again though when I could smell the blanket. It had me worried that perhaps I wasn't helping Kanato just because I felt sorry for him anymore. Perhaps I was helping him for new reasons...


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

A hand slapped down over my mouth and my eyes flew open as I was roused from sleep for the second time. My vision took a minute to adjust but I soon realised that there was a face directly in front of my own.

 _Kanato?_

The face had a finger to its lips, asking me to be silent and I nodded in understanding. It wasn't until the hand was removed from my mouth that I first noticed that my disruptor's eyes were green and that their hair was a light shade of red.

Ayato.

He grabbed my arm and began pulling me. I was too tired to resist so I dragged myself out of the bed and followed behind Ayato who was leading me out of the room. Before we left through the door I looked back to see Kanato still sleeping soundly on the bed, completely oblivious to my removal.

Out in the hallway I found myself confronted not only by Ayato but by Laito also who had apparently been waiting. I hugged my blanket around my shoulders nervously and then looked down at myself with surprise to notice that I'd taken Kanato's blanket with me unconsciously.

"Here you are Bitch-chan" Laito whined as he hung his arm over my shoulders. "We were looking for you."

"For me?" I said. "What for?"

"Idiot" Ayato scoffed. "Shouldn't that be obvious?"

When I look between the two brothers I did happen to notice that they seemed a little predatory. Laito brought his face close to my neck and I shivered. I still hadn't grown used to their constant demands for blood.

My voice squeaked as I felt Laito bite down and I pinched my eyes shut tight in the hope that it would all be over soon. Ayato was blood-thirsty also and I felt him tug down the side of my shirt opposite to Laito and sink his fangs into the flesh of my shoulder.

I could only hear the sounds of their greedy drinking. It made me feel weak but after some time I eventually did feel the pain cease as both Laito and Ayato had had their fill. They stepped back and wiped their mouths with the back of their hands before looking at me seriously.

"Why were you in Kanato's room?" Ayato asked me harshly.

"H-he asked to stay with him" I tried to answer truthfully. Something about the way both Ayato and Laito stared down at me made me feel like I was suddenly being interrogated. "I didn't mean to fall asleep."

"So you didn't stay there because you wanted to?" Laito said. I looked at him puzzled.

"What do you mean?"

Ayato rolled his eyes at me as if I was stupid for not understanding. It made me feel like an idiot but I didn't know what point they were trying to make.

"Look" Ayato said firmly, "you know Teddy? Kanato had that bear for a really long time. At first it was a little weird but we've all gone through some difficult times together and that bear is how he has managed to cope. We figured it wasn't hurting anybody to we didn't say anything about it. Are you following?"

Ayato paused and seemed to want a genuine answer. I nodded.

"I think so. You're saying that Kanato doesn't know how to cope now that Teddy is gone."

"Exactly" Laito replied. "That's why he has latched onto you. He thinks you're his new toy. His new confidant."

"But we don't want you to be" Ayato stated. "Not if you're only going to betray him and leave him eventually."

I looked first at Ayato and then to Laito. They both looked so serious that I was surprised. I didn't think any of the brothers hated each other but they never seemed to care a whole lot about one another either. Admittedly the triplets did seem closer but I still wouldn't have expected a lecture from these two. They must have really been concerned about Kanato.

"I'm not trying to hurt him" I eventually answered. "I just thought he seemed lonely."

"So you're doing it out of pity then?" Ayato asked.

"No!" I insisted. "I-I like spending time with Kanato."

They both looked sceptically at me as if unconvinced by my declaration. It was the truth however. I didn't know why but there was something about Kanato and the feeling I had when I was around him that felt good. I wasn't sure if it was just the fact that he paid attention to me when I too was feeling a little lonely in the household or if we actually genuinely got along. Either way, I didn't want our new relationship to come to an end so quickly.

"We'll be watching you" Laito said eventually. He and Ayato stepped back and I no longer felt like they were looming over me. "If you do anything bad to him we'll punish you for it. Got it?"

I showed that I understood and they left abruptly, leaving me alone out in the hallway. I wrapped the blanket more tightly around my body and shivered. I didn't like the talk of punishment but I supposed that I had nothing to worry about because I had no intention of hurting Kanato.

...

As quietly as possible I made my way back into the room and crept towards the bed. Kanato stirred as I sat down on the mattress and I froze. He still woke up however. I saw his eyes drowsily flutter open and as he became more aware of his surroundings I saw him look to the side of the bed where I had previously been sleeping.

He saw me sitting there on the edge of the bed and he frowned slightly.

"Where are you going?" he asked with a yawn.

"I'm not going. I'm just coming back."

"From where?"

I bit my lip unsurely. It would have been easy to make something up but I was sure Kanato wouldn't have liked it if I lied.

"Ayato said he wanted to talk to me."

"Oh" was all Kanato said in reply. I watched as he sat up in bed and stretched his arms over his head tiredly. When he looked towards me again his expression was blank so I couldn't tell if he was upset or not. He extended his hand toward me across the bed, as if offering it to me. "Come closer."

I shuffled onto the bed on my knees and took his hand. He tugged me inwards, forcing me to shuffle even further. When I was close enough he wrapped his other arm around me and pulled me towards him so that I sat directly next to him. I wasn't sure what he intended to do but it had my heart beating rapidly in my chest nevertheless.

He brought his face down towards my collarbone and I heard him inhale deeply. As he brushed his fingers over the skin of my neck I felt goose bumps break out over my flesh. When his fingers brushed over the fresh bite-mark that Laito had left there I winced but I also felt guilty. I didn't know why exactly but I felt like I was betraying Kanato when I let the others drink my blood.

"Your scent is so sweet today" Kanato sighed as I heard him inhale again. "I bet you taste delicious."

I gulped as he held me close and continued to brush his fingers over my skin. He hadn't bitten me in such a long time so I presumed his thirst was speaking. I knew what I had to say but it still felt awkward.

"Um K-Kanato. I-If you want, you can have some of my blood."

He pulled away and looked me dead in the eye. That's when I realised that he was _not_ in a good mood.

"Is that what you said to Ayato and Laito too?" he said. His voice sounded like ice and I shivered when I heard it. "I can smell them on you. It's disgusting."

He pushed me away forcefully and I fell heavily back onto the bed. My expression turned into that of surprise and hurt.

"I didn't want them to" I tried to explain.

"Go away. I can't stand to look at you."

His face still seemed so cold and as much as I wanted to stay and defend myself I knew there was no point. He looked stubborn and there was nothing I knew I could say that would make him happier.

I got off the bed in defeat and retreated from the room. It left me with a hollow feeling in my stomach. I felt like I'd done something terribly wrong and despite affirming to myself that I hadn't intentionally tried to hurt Kanato's feelings I still couldn't shake the feeling.

...

We had to attend school that night and despite Kanato being in my class he didn't speak to me at all. I didn't think he even looked at me once. In the past I would have welcomed such disinterest but after having the kind of relationship that I had with Kanato, I was distracted for the whole day.

I could barely listen to the teacher's words as every minute or so I would turn in my seat to look at Kanato but he'd always have his eyes cast downwards at his books. He looked bored but I knew he was angry at me.

This only caused me to be angry at Ayato and Laito. I thought they were being kind for once when they had made it clear they were looking after their sibling. As it turned out, they had been the very reason that Kanato was in such a sour mood. Although a guilty part of me said it was also my own fault.

If Kanato was mad about the fact that Ayato and Laito and drained some of my blood then perhaps I was also a part of the blame for not resisting. I had been tired and none of my attempts to flee had worked before but I should have done something other than just stand there. I got a queasy feeling in my stomach that maybe Kanato knew I hadn't resisted. Perhaps he thought I had let myself be taken by his brothers willingly.

I just wished I could have explained it all to him. After all, since coming to the mansion he'd seemed like the first glimmer of hope of making friends among the brothers. Until then all I had been treated as was a sack of blood. Kanato had let me talk to him and we'd had real conversations. I didn't want to go back to being alone and I hoped Kanato would feel the same way too.

...

When we arrived back home after school that night I finally decided that I couldn't bear to wait. I needed to talk to Kanato before he distanced himself from me. Perhaps I was being selfish but I felt that a part of him still needed my support also.

I tracked him down to one of the parlours. He was sitting in front of the fireplace and I felt awkward as I realised it was the same hearth in which Teddy had met his fate. His eyes looked hollow and restless as he stared intently into the flames.

I approached him and sat beside him on the couch. He seemed surprised by my presence as if he hadn't even heard me enter the room. His look quickly became resentful however.

"Kanato?" I asked meekly. "Are you still angry with me?"

He frowned for a second as if wondering what kind of an answer to give. I was glad at least that he didn't dismiss me immediately. If I could get him to stay put then it would give me enough time to resolve our spat.

I gasped however when I felt my back hit the seat of the couch and I saw Kanato looming on top of me. He'd pinned me down and I suddenly had horrible memories of the times when Kanato used to hold me down in the past. I looked at him with questions in my eyes.

"You offered me your blood earlier, right?" he said.

I looked up at him worriedly. I'd offered him blood because I had figured that he wouldn't hurt me so much but now I didn't feel safe at all. His look had turned predatory.

"I take it back" I protested as I tried to push him away. "Please stop."

"Huh? You take it back? Girls are so fickle" he sighed. "If you let me drink your blood now then I'll forgive you."

My eyes widened at this new proposition. Would our small argument really be forgotten if I just let him drink my blood? It sounded too easy but from the way I could tell Kanato was craving to drink from me, I figured he would keep his word.

I suddenly got an awful feeling in my stomach however. I didn't want to solve our argument simply by giving him what he wanted. I hadn't been given a chance to explain myself yet. It was with a horrible sense of realisation that I abruptly came to understand that Kanato probably already knew I wasn't guilty of anything. I was innocent in whatever he had chosen to accuse me of and now I was only being humiliated.

I wondered if Kanato took enjoyment in tormenting me like that. It made me feel betrayed. I didn't want to become one of his toys that he could use and abuse to his heart's content. I was a person and I had the potential to be his friend. It meant then that I held more control than I initially realised. If anyone had the decision to forgive, it was me.

"Get off me, Kanato" I said with a little more strength. I managed to push at him harder so that we were both sitting upright again. He seemed a little surprised that I had refused but his look told me he was more curious than annoyed. "I don't want to forgive _you_ yet."

"Forgive me?" he said innocently although his eyes told me he knew exactly what he'd done. Perhaps he had hoped that I would be a little more gullible and would fall into his trap to make me crave his company despite his foul attitude. I needed to make him understand that he didn't need to make friends by manipulating them or tricking them. I knew there had to be something inside of him that made his a good person. Why else would he have let me approach him to begin with?

...

I left Kanato with the resolve that I wouldn't let myself forgive him for being so rude until I felt like he was truly sorry. Perhaps he was the only member of the family I had gotten close to but that didn't mean I had to settle for his unkindness. I'd sought him out because I saw something of myself in him. We were both lonely souls. If he saw value in that then I was sure he would come around eventually.

My only concern was that if and when he chose to continue our relationship, I had the danger of becoming his new Teddy. I liked Kanato but not enough to become his toy. I wanted to be treated as his friend. As his equal.

I entered my room and walked over to my bed. Kanato's blanket lay folded up next to my pillow. I'd been so distracted that I'd taken the thing with me. Perhaps my subconscious hadn't let me leave it behind.

I picked it up and brought it to my face. It still smelled just like Kanato. I smiled as I hugged the blanket to myself. Somehow the object felt like proof that Kanato was better than he often appeared to be. If he had the decency to cover me with a blanket then I was sure he was capable of so much more.

I wrapped the blanket around myself and fell onto my bed. Or perhaps I was only hoping he was more decent than he really was because I wanted us to be more than friends...

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 **A/N: Okay, so I know this chapter isn't as fluffy as the other two but I felt like we had to see more of Kanato's typical cruel side before we jump straight in. Sorry, I just like a bit of built up in a story. But lemons are coming soon. I promise.**

 **Anyway thanks for reading and please leave a review to let me know how you like Kanato in this chapter. He can always go back to being cute if you guys don't like him like this. :)**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Kanato, in his irritation, kept his distance for an extended length of time. He hadn't taken kindly to the fact that I'd retaliated or perhaps he was annoyed that I'd figured out that he'd been playing me. Either way, it was getting to a point where we were both so stubborn that I didn't know when the silence would end.

I thought perhaps Kanato was waiting for enough time to pass so that he might be able to return as if nothing had happened. Or maybe he thought we had been getting too close and he wanted to cut the bond of our relationship. Despite giving him the cold shoulder, I didn't really want him to leave me.

I'd tried talking with the other Sakamaki brothers without any success. Usually whenever I tried to start a conversation it would end with them either telling me that I was annoying and to shut up or by them drinking my blood. Kanato had been my one hope of finding someone that I could speak to without me going insane inside the lonely mansion.

As it turned out, Kanato must have been missing me too because eventually the silence was broken...

...

I woke up on a regular school day and lay still in my bed for a minute as I tried to stop my brain from feeling so sleepy. I was tired, more than usual and it took a quick glance at the clock next to my bed to see than I'd awoken half an hour earlier than normal.

I sighed and shut my eyes again while wondering what had caused me to wake up from my deep sleep. However with my eyes closed I could suddenly sense that someone was watching me. I bolted upright in bed and sure enough, I saw that Kanato sat on the end of my mattress.

His face looked dejected and confused like it had always been lately. I wasn't sure whether to be annoyed by his presence or to smile in relief. It felt like it had been a long time since it was just the two of us alone in a room together. I settled on merely looking surprised which I was.

"Kanato! What are you doing in here?"

He gave me a look of annoyance before sighing.

"You really are bothersome when you ask so many stupid questions. Just be quiet and let me quench my thirst."

He climbed further onto my mattress and crawled towards me. I could feel my heart begin to beat faster at the sight of him steadily approaching me until he was nearly sitting on me.

I knew that I should have refused to let him drink my blood but I was too excited by the fact that he had come to see me. Also, if he was willing to break our silence due to a desire for my blood then I presumed he must have been thirsty. He hadn't had any of me in a long time.

With gentle movements I felt his fingers brush the strands of hair away from my neck. Just the touch of his cold skin on mine made my flesh ripple with goose bumps. I felt like I'd been frozen to the spot and could only sit there as he face moved closer to my neck. He bit into my skin, causing me to gasp slightly but I didn't push him away. He slowly drained the wound of its blood and I felt it tickle slightly as he used the tip of his tongue to catch the final few drops.

He moved his face so that it was right in front of my own and my eyes locked onto his. His head was tilted slightly as if he was silently asking a question.

"Last time I spoke to you, you said you didn't want to forgive me. Am I forgiven now?" Kanato asked innocently. I could tell from the way his hand brushed smoothly down my arm that he was trying to make me give in to him. I nearly wanted to comply.

"That depends; do you only want to get close to me because of my blood?"

"What would you do if I said yes?"

"I wouldn't believe you" I replied.

Again I saw the irritation cross his features. The hand on my arm tightened slightly and his face returned to my neck. This time when I felt his fangs puncture my skin, it hurt. He was being harsh on purpose and I couldn't help thinking how childish it was that he was punishing me.

He drank more of my blood this time and made sure to press hard on my skin. I had to hold my breath to stop myself from making any noise of pain but he eventually pulled away and returned his eyes to mine.

"How about now? Forgiven?" he demanded.

I gave him a small scowl before I answered.

"If this is really about blood, why do you care? You've just shown that you can take it whenever you want. I won't forgive you for it though."

Upon hearing my answer his teeth immediately returned to my flesh. As he tore through the skin I felt him twisting and grinding into the wound with his fangs. My breath became shaky and tears formed in the corners of my eyes as I tried to endure the pain of his actions.

"Now?!" he hissed when he was done with the brief feed.

I took a moment to simply breathe before I answered. Kanato must have seen the distress on my face but that didn't help to cool his frustration.

"You don't want my forgiveness so that you can take my blood. You want it so you can toy with me. Do you really enjoy hurting your play-things like this?"

Kanato threw me a look of disgust but not before I caught a brief flash surprise in his eyes that told me I was right. He didn't try to punish me immediately though and there was simply silence between us for a moment as we both just looked at one another.

I felt Kanato place his hand on the centre of my chest and push me down. I was confused by the action but I didn't resist as I lay back down and returned my head to my pillow. He loomed over me and although he was trying to appear slightly threatening I could tell from the expression on his face that he was no longer angry.

"Don't try to understand me. It's annoying" he said.

I closed my eyes as I once again saw his face approach my neck but this time, rather than adding a fresh and painful bite I was surprised by the cool but gentle touch of a kiss. His lips caressed the skin around the first bite, as if apologising for the ache that had been left in its stead. He then moved on to kiss the second and third bites also and all the while I just lay there.

It was strange to go from near agony to serene comfort. Despite how cold his mouth was I felt myself melt into a calm state of mind. I couldn't always predict what Kanato would do but when he was being tender and quiet I knew to appreciate the moment.

He left a smattering of soft kisses along the side of my neck. I curled myself into his touch when I felt both his hands run down the sides of my waist and hold me tightly. Almost immediately I could feel my body getting hotter. I'd never been in an intimate situation with anyone before but with Kanato it felt like I liked it.

When one of his hands slid back up my side and took hold of my breast I gasped and gripped the sheets beneath my hands. I didn't push him away however and simply lay there defenceless as he nuzzled into my collarbone and squeezed the swell on my chest. It was a feeling that made my toes curl.

"Kanato..." I said weakly. His fingers tightened on my skin but he pulled his face away from my neck to look at me. His face was so close to my own that I felt like all my vision had been taken up by his large purple eyes and his small mouth. He was almost teasing me with the gap between our lips.

I held my breath as he began to lean in, bringing his face even closer still. Locks of his hair brushed against my forehead and I closed my eyes as I simply couldn't keep them open any longer. I expected a kiss to follow. I had prepared myself to have his cold lips on mine and could feel myself getting shyly excited about it.

However, when the pause lasted too long I opened an eye again to see that Kanato had retreated. His hands slackened their grip on me and he sat up to move away from me. I looked at him with confusion as I was unable to find the right words to ask him what was wrong.

Before any speaking could be done at all I suddenly saw Ayato appear in my room at the end of my bed.

"Still in bed, Pancake?" he said with irritation. "Kanato, don't feed on her until she faints. She still has to go to school."

"I'll try and remembered for next time," Kanato replied with a bored voice as he stood up from the bed and started walking towards the door. I sat up and watched him leave sadly.

Had Kanato known that Ayato was about to interrupt us or did he just not feel that way about me? I wanted to know why Kanato had stopped just when it seemed like things had been getting started.

Was he merely using me again? After all, I hadn't exactly been resisting which made it pretty clear that I had given in to his game. Maybe that was just what he wanted.

Now that he knew he had won me over and I wasn't sure if he was ever going to stop playing with me.


End file.
